Related? Very likely. Does having a practice field cause you to perform better? Not necessarily, but likely.
It's pretty likely that teams that perform better on a regular basis are also teams that seek out additional resources, which could include a practice field. Basically, the teams that have practice fields are probably also the teams that work harder.
In the end, if you think you'll perform better with a practice field and you can reasonably explain why, that's better than any correlational study. Allow me to point out the fallacy of the
Appeal to Common Practice.
If you're looking for reasons why a practice field could be beneficial, then just ignore me. This thread would be a great place for that.
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Team 2337 | 2009-2012 | Student
Team 3322 | 2014-Present | College Student
“Be excellent in everything you do and the results will just happen.”
-Paul Copioli