Oakleaf, when I first started riding, I had a bike with toe clips. Cages actually. My hands were not required to get my feet in and out of them, because the plastic cage provided some structure. Now, I could tighten them up or down, and for long rides, it took extra oomph to pull my feet out (when I had the straps tightened up), but I could still remove my feet without my hands. I started in this setup with regular tennis shoes.

Then, I got some mountain bike shoes. These had a stiffer sole than tennis shoes, but it was optional to use the SPD cleats. I left the little rubber plate over the cleat area for a while, and continued to use the toe clip cages.

Then, I finally got SPD pedals and went clipless. And, I wondered why on earth I had not just started clipless on the bike from the very beginning. MUCH easier than toe clips, IMO.

Now I use Ultegra road pedals and have road shoes.