Shooter engaging targets from behind cover during a Pistol & Barricade live-fire drill

Specialist: Pistol & Barricade — Hazel Academy

Apply Your Pistol Fundamentals Where the Static Range Line Ends

A one-day specialist live-fire course for experienced shooters — cover-based shooting, unconventional positions, exposure control, and ammo management. Taught by the same Field Training & Development instructors who deliver Protection Fundamentals I.

View dates & registerSee what you'll do
Calgary, Alberta
8 hours · 1 day
Small class · direct feedback
Specialist level

— The problem

You've mastered the static firing line. Now what?

Most pistol training stops where it gets interesting. You can draw, you can press a clean trigger, you can put rounds where you want them — standing square to a paper target on a flat range, taking your time.

The minute the geometry changes — kneeling, prone, working from cover, shooting around an obstacle, managing exposure under a clock — the technique you grooved on the firing line stops translating. Solo range time won't fix it. Putting more rounds downrange without structure just builds anticipation, not capability.

What you need is a structured day in unorthodox positions, with an instructor watching every shot string and telling you what your fundamentals are actually doing when the static range stops.

— The day, in two phases

Calibrate in the morning. Apply it in the afternoon.

Eight hours, two phases, one shooter per lane on the line. Morning is a focused reset on the fundamentals you already have. The afternoon is the work most pistol courses skip — applied shooting from positions that actually look like the real world.

01
Morning

Refining the Fundamentals

A short reset on the safe-handling and shot-process habits you already own — calibrated for the day's applied work.

You leave with — A confirmed baseline on the static firing line so the afternoon's positional work isn't bottlenecked by inconsistent fundamentals.

See full classroom + range breakdown

Classroom

Calibrating grip, stance, sight picture, and trigger control for sustained applied work

  • •Course safety brief and range etiquette specific to barricade and cover work
  • •Grip, stance, sight picture, and trigger control — re-calibrated, not re-taught
  • •Holster mechanics, draw stroke, and re-holstering under instructor observation
  • •Controlled pairs and cadence drills
  • •Failure-to-stop and emergency-reload sequences
  • •Diagnostic feedback on each shooter's baseline before positional work begins

Range

Live-fire reset — confirming each shooter is calibrated before the afternoon

  • •Static firing line confirmation drills
  • •Holster draw repetitions with instructor feedback
  • •Controlled pairs at varying cadences
  • •Failure drills under time pressure
  • •Individual diagnostic feedback before moving to positional work
02
Afternoon

Barricade, Cover & Unorthodox Positions

The day's main event: shooting from kneeling, prone, supported and unsupported positions, around barricades and through cover.

You leave with — The ability to apply your fundamentals under awkward geometry — exposure controlled, ammo managed, shots called from positions a flat range can't teach you.

See full classroom + range breakdown

Classroom

Cover use, exposure control, and ammo management under positional load

  • •Working from barricades and hard cover — what cover does and doesn't do
  • •Kneeling, prone, supported and unsupported shooting positions
  • •Exposure control — minimizing silhouette while maintaining sight picture
  • •Ammo management and reload sequencing under positional load
  • •Practical application drills tying every position back to the morning's fundamentals

Range

Live-fire applied work in positions a static range never teaches

  • •Engagements from kneeling and prone — supported and unsupported
  • •Barricade work, both sides, with deliberate exposure control
  • •Around-cover engagements — moving the gun, not just the shooter
  • •Reload sequencing under positional load
  • •Performance feedback and shot-by-shot diagnostic on the line

Firearm safety remains visible throughout — anyone whose handling is unsafe will be redirected. The course assumes you can already keep the muzzle pointed downrange and your finger off the trigger; the day is built to push experienced shooters into the applied work most courses don't cover.

— Why this works

Specialist content. Operational instructors. No range theatre.

Hazel Academy is the training arm of Blackthorn Security. The instructors on this course come out of protective and tactical work, not just range coaching. The course exists because the gap between range-line marksmanship and applied pistol work is exactly where most shooters plateau.

Instructor coaching a student through positional pistol work on the range
01

Same instructors as PF1

Pistol & Barricade is delivered by Hazel Academy's Field Training & Development division — the same team that teaches Protection Fundamentals I and our advanced programs. Specialist content, taught by people who do this work for a living.

02

Tools for the toolbox

We don't teach use-of-force doctrine and we don't replace your agency or unit's training. We give experienced shooters cleanly-isolated techniques you can plug into whatever framework you already work inside — without conflict.

03

Diagnostic feedback, every shot string

Small class size means an instructor watches every shooter, every shot string, and tells you what your fundamentals are doing under positional load. That's the loop solo range time can't close.

Instructor team

Led by professional instructors with operational backgrounds in protective services, military, and law enforcement training environments.

Full instructor bios coming soon. Want to talk through credentials or methodology before you enroll? Email us.

— Who this is for

Experienced shooters with safe handling already locked in.

The competency floor is safe-handling, not advanced shooting. You don't need to be a competition winner — you need to be safe with a pistol. Finger off the trigger until you're on target, muzzle pointed downrange, holster discipline. If that's you, the day is built for you.

01

Military — Current & Former

Soldiers, special operations, reservists

Sidearm-from-cover is rarely covered in basic infantry. This day takes the safe-handling baseline you already own and pushes you into the positional and barricade work most service training doesn't make time for.

02

Law Enforcement — Current & Former

Sworn officers, tactical teams, applicants

Annual qualifications confirm a standard — they don't expand it. We give you tools for the toolbox: cleanly-taught techniques that slot into your agency's doctrine without conflict, plus diagnostic feedback your quals don't provide.

03

Competitive Shooters

IPSC, IDPA, practical-shooting community

If you can already draw, run a clean shot process, and read your own splits, the bottleneck is positional execution under awkward geometry. That's what the afternoon is for.

04

Armed Professionals

Protective operations, security operators

If a sidearm is part of how you do your job, the difference between a square-range shooter and an operational one is what you can do from cover, in a hurry, with exposure that matters. This day is built for that gap.

05

Capable Civilian Shooters

Enthusiasts who already shoot safely

You don't need a uniform to belong here. If your safe-handling is solid — finger off trigger, muzzle awareness, holster discipline — and you're tired of plinking at paper from the same square stance, the course is open to you.

A note on experience claims

Hazel Academy reserves the right to remove a student from the course at any time if their handling is unsafe or if their actual experience doesn't match what was reported at registration. We'll redirect you into a more appropriate course and apply your tuition toward it. Honest answers in the registration questionnaire keep the day safe and valuable for everyone on the line.

— Register

Pick a date. Bring your kit, or rent on site.

One day. Eight hours. Specialist content for experienced shooters. Confirmation email within 24 hours of enrolling — exact range location follows under separate cover.

  • ✓Secure Stripe checkout — credit card or e-transfer accepted
  • ✓Rental firearm and gear available on site if you don't have your own
  • ✓Ammunition required: ~200 rounds (4 boxes of 50) — purchase on site at $25/box
  • ✓Small class — direct instructor feedback on every shot string

📅 Course Date

June 13, 2026

Registration closes June 11, 2026

$500.00+ GST

Calgary, Alberta

Limited to 12 students per session

Register NowHave questions? Contact us

— Logistics & what's included

Calgary. Eight hours. Rent or bring.

Schedule

8 hours · 1 day · Calgary, Alberta

June 13, 2026

Register →

Location

Calgary, Alberta

Exact address provided upon enrollment

Format

Morning calibration on the static line, afternoon barricade and cover work

Prerequisites

Specialist level. Safe-handling competency required — finger off trigger, muzzle awareness, holster discipline. No competition record needed.

Payment

Credit card via Stripe checkout. E-transfer also available — contact us to arrange.

Range kit for the Pistol & Barricade course — pistol, magazines, ammunition

You're covered for

  • ✓Targets and training supplies
  • ✓Professional instruction
  • ✓Range time for the day

You bring (or rent on site)

  • •Pistol (9mm or larger) — or rent on site
  • •Holster, belt, and 2× magazine pouches — or rent on site
  • •Eye and ear protection — or rent on site
  • •Approximately 200 rounds of ammunition (4 boxes of 50, ~$25/box on site)
  • •Appropriate range clothing for kneeling, prone, and positional work

No gear? No problem. Rental firearm and equipment available on site. Targets and instruction provided by Hazel Academy.

FAQ

Common Questions

If you have a question not answered here, reach out and we'll respond within 24 hours.

Yes. This is a specialist course built for shooters who already have safe-handling locked in — finger off the trigger until you're on target, muzzle pointed downrange, holster discipline. You don't need a competition record or a uniform; you do need to be safe with a pistol. If you're unsure where you sit, reach out before enrolling — we'll have a quick call and either welcome you in or steer you to the right starting point.

— Final call

Get off the static line. Shoot from where it actually counts.

Eight hours of unconventional positions, barricade and cover work, and exposure-controlled engagements under a clock — taught by the same FT&D Division instructors who deliver Protection Fundamentals I. Bring your own pistol and gear, or rent everything on site.

The day is built for experienced shooters with safe-handling already locked in — military, law enforcement, competitive, armed-role professionals, and capable enthusiasts.

Have questions? Email us

📅 Course Date

June 13, 2026

Registration closes June 11, 2026

$500.00+ GST

Calgary, Alberta

Limited to 12 students per session

Register NowHave questions? Contact us