what is the purpose of split toed boots?

i have been a ninjustu practicioner for some time now so i decided to get a pair of the split toed tabi boots that some guys at my dojo have. I couldnt help but wonder, what is the preactical purpose of them in martial arts?

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2 Responses to “what is the purpose of split toed boots?”

  • Ron:

    They are more natural (ergonomic-wise). Regular shoes compresses/squeezes the toes together so your feet is also exterting more pressure per sq. inch on the ground. A split toe shoes (and even regular tong sandals) allows the toes to spread out and allows the wearer to tread a little more lightly. If you look at your toes, especially the one next to the big toe you will probably notice that it is slightly crooked/bent. This is from years of wearing modern shoes that compressed the toes together and cause the bones to grow crooked.

  • Shienaran:

    I could be wrong, but I’d suppose it’s because the Japanese tabi boots were nothing more than socks made of cloth sewn to a straw sole during old times to keep their feet warm, when they went out of their house especially during winter or rainy days, the straw soles would get wet so they wore a pair of wooden slippers with straw straps outdoors to keep their tabi socks dry, it would’ve been hard to keep a grip on the sandal straps if the tabi socks didn’t have split toes.

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