pivot foot
In sports such as basketball or baseball, the foot that stays in place while the other moves.
In basketball, moving your pivot foot results in a traveling violation.
Figurative use: the central point or main basis of an argument, policy, or activity. Often used in phrases like 軸足を置く (to place emphasis on).
The government is placing emphasis on economic measures.
His arguments are always grounded in data.
Compound of 軸 (axis, pivot) and 足 (foot). The figurative sense extends the idea of a stable pivot point to abstract contexts.