– Where to put Pivots

Pivots aren’t just important for posing. They define how an object will move between keys. This means that the ideal pivot for posing might not be the ideal pivot for animating.
This is along the same theory for Rotation Orders that there is no ideal setup for every action.

I approach pivots in two ways. First, I try to avoid counter translation of rotations, see below.

counter-translate
If the pivot is offset from the center of mass you will have to translate the control to get the desired pose. For the hips and chest, counter translation will cause headache in your curves.

no-counter-translate
I find it better to have the pivot in the center location of that mass to avoid counter translation. See Above. But this isn’t the rule for every control in a quad.

My second approach to pivots is, what pivot will give the rig the most stability?

For example the foots pivot should be in the ankle. Not in the center or mass like the chest and hips. This way it doesn’t ‘pull’ on the IK limb when you rotate it, which is especially important in fore limb animation, see below.

You may want to ask your rigger for control of pivots in your rigs or to have alternate pivots added as sub controls below the main control. Another way is through set driven expressions, but i try to avoid these as they are subject to variations or limits.