DJ Sackmann’s training methods revolve around biomechanics and skill repetition. He has emerged as a global basketball trainer and performance coach with a dedicated following. With a high-octane resume, Sackmann has worked with numerous athletes at every level, from high school to the NBA. His emphasis on preparation and precision has made him the most sought-after entity in the basketball realm.

Known for his ability to combine his advanced player development skills into game-like situations, he was asked to join as one of six trainers in the world to represent Adidas Basketball. Similarly, he joined McDonald’s for the B/R Chicago 2020 event while the All-Star Weekend was going on and promoted the 2020 McDonald’s All-American Games in Houston. With that being said, let’s explore all about this athlete who is thriving as a ground-breaking entrepreneur with his unique skills and methods.

Meet DJ Sackmann

Born in January 1987, Sackmann grew up in Pequannock, a small town in New Jersey. Although it was not a basketball-oriented environment, his family acknowledged his love for the game and surrounded him with people who were associated with basketball outside of their regular community.

As a young boy, he was always a fan of the game and a dedicated student who worked very hard to refine himself. However, he wanted more, he wanted to take his skills to the professional level. To give his dream a push was an And 1 Mixtape tour.

This was the time when he was in middle school. Being in complete awe of the game, he was drawn towards the creativity of the players and he started to mirror their moves. As a result, he found early success playing the game as he developed ball-handling skills at a very young age. This success ignited his work ethic and a dedicated passion to pursue basketball after middle school.

Sackmann’s life in college

In college, he was a four-year starter at the University of New Haven. Further, his passion led him to study player development strategies and team development strategies. While he was a player, he also helped the coaching staff with reports related to opposing players’ personal and opposing team scouting.

After this, he took his talents to Germany and played for Team Prague in the Eurobasket S. League. It was a brief but highly profound experience as upon his return to the States, Sackmann was hired as the AAU director and the lead trainer in New Jersey.

This in turn opened the gates to something more meaningful.

His rising professional career in basketball

Three years after he graduated from New Haven, Sackmann joined Micah Lancaster’s I’m Possible Training. where he was instantly recognized as the firm’s top trainer. At I’m Possible Training, he expanded his reach off the court with an appearance in The Gap Inc.’s bounce-meets-bounce campaign in 2017 to work with Eastbay, a direct mail catalog and internet supplier of athletic footwear and apparel.

About the company, I’m Possible Training is a German multinational corporation that is an influential alliance of trainers and coaches collectively changing the world of basketball through their innovative and efficient training methods, services, and basketball education. They provide camps, training academics, clinics, private training, and motivational speaking.

But, how did DJ Sackmann fit into all of this? Brands like Reebok and TaylorMade put together a team of five basketball trainers to represent Adidas hoops and showed them off at the #LVL3 event space held at the Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino in 2016.

However, Sackmann didn’t shy away from stretching his wisdom as he had a lot to offer to the ones who were willing to learn about basketball. He then expanded his range with a partnership with Israel’s largest basketball training company, Basketball Coaching.

Within the organization, Sackmann handles all the basketball-specific programs. In three years, he worked with more than 3000 players across the country. Looking at this growth the organization and Sackmann together started Accelerate Israel, giving players a unique experience of a year-long basketball training program with camps and training in Israel and a two-week-long camp in America where the players compete with some of America’s top basketball players.

The emergence of Sackmann’s online training program

Besides making moves and shooting the ball on the court, there is another aspect of basketball that DJ Sackmann understood for people who could not get in the gym with him. In August 2016, Sackmann launched an online training program called #HoopStudy.

In the program, there are no drills, however, concepts and movements are accessible to players, coaches, and trainers from their mobile devices. Similarly, members can access his knowledge and approach to basketball training and some of the highest levels of skill development teaching anytime, anywhere.

For instance, at DJ Sackmann’s Hoop School, which is North Jersey’s premier basketball training program, training is open for young boys and girls in grades 5 to 12. Besides, the program also gives access to year-round training from his HoopStudy curriculum.

Today, HoopStudy has become DJ Sackmann’s world-renowned basketball training program that also upholds his philosophy which reads, “To train at a high level, you must be able to understand game purpose, turn raw skill innovation into game-like action, motivate with purpose, and demonstrate at the highest level.”