I could be misunderstanding, but if we're just talking about popups behind her, is she trying to catch everything on the run? There are plenty of times when catching the ball on the run, but not always.
If possible, you want to get behind the ball, turn back toward in the infield, and camp under the ball. So she needs to process where the ball is going to land quickly and then get to that spot. Here's a thought: Use a tennis or nerf ball, something soft, and have her work on her footwork but do NOT catch the ball. Get her to see the ball go up and get to the spot where the ball is going to land a foot or two in front of her. If she's not worried about catching, she's going to focus on getting to the best possible spot to catch the ball. And if you use something soft, she won't get hurt if she misjudges (I'd even get rid of the glove for this).
I've noticed that many kids have a real hard time understanding the concept of the arc, especially on popups which look to them like they go straight up (so they assume they'll come straight down). They like to run to where the ball is at its highest point, but of course it's going to fall beyond that. I like to give them a side view so they can see how a ball falls "forward." Try this: Have her stand at SS. You stand at home plate with a ball, and throw a popup toward first base. Have her watch it and tell you where the highest point was and compare that to where the ball landed. I've found this demonstration helps them understand because they can see the full arc of the ball and see that it's not dropping straight down.
If possible, you want to get behind the ball, turn back toward in the infield, and camp under the ball. So she needs to process where the ball is going to land quickly and then get to that spot. Here's a thought: Use a tennis or nerf ball, something soft, and have her work on her footwork but do NOT catch the ball. Get her to see the ball go up and get to the spot where the ball is going to land a foot or two in front of her. If she's not worried about catching, she's going to focus on getting to the best possible spot to catch the ball. And if you use something soft, she won't get hurt if she misjudges (I'd even get rid of the glove for this).
I've noticed that many kids have a real hard time understanding the concept of the arc, especially on popups which look to them like they go straight up (so they assume they'll come straight down). They like to run to where the ball is at its highest point, but of course it's going to fall beyond that. I like to give them a side view so they can see how a ball falls "forward." Try this: Have her stand at SS. You stand at home plate with a ball, and throw a popup toward first base. Have her watch it and tell you where the highest point was and compare that to where the ball landed. I've found this demonstration helps them understand because they can see the full arc of the ball and see that it's not dropping straight down.
