# Kazotsky Kick (DD-647)

> 'Kazotsky Kick' is the name of a group taunt in Valve's game Team Fortress 2. It was added on July 2, 2015, in the Gun Mettle Update. Any class can perform it, and other players can join in. The official TF2 Wiki calls it a hopak set to a fast folk tune, with variations for each class. The step itself is the prisyadka (also spelled prysiadka), a squat step in which the dancer drops onto the balls of the feet and kicks the legs out one at a time while keeping the back straight. The squat-kick step comes from folk dance of the former Russian Empire and Soviet Union, including the Russian prisyadka and the Ukrainian hopak; the game wiki calls the taunt a hopak. Britannica traces the hopak to the Zaporozhian Cossacks and describes improvised leaps, squatting kicks and turns, and Dictionary.com calls the prisiadka the signature step of the kazachok, a Cossack-style dance. The name 'Kazotsky' isn't a traditional dance name; it's best known from the game. The footage shows men in Soviet-style military uniforms doing squat kicks in what appears to be a colorized archival film. The source doesn't identify the clip, so the case doesn't either.

- Department: Media (also History)
- First published: 2025-09-03
- Last updated: 2025-09-03
- Permalink: https://detailenjoyer.com/case/kazotsky-kick/
- Author: Marcus Easterling (DetailEnjoyer), The Detail Department

## On the timeline

- **July 2, 2015**: Valve adds the Kazotsky Kick taunt to Team Fortress 2 in the Gun Mettle Update

Full timeline: https://detailenjoyer.com/timeline/?case=kazotsky-kick

## Quick facts

- **DD-647-F01**: The Kazotsky Kick taunt arrived on July 2, 2015. _(Write-up · Exhibit A (A 2015 taunt))_
- **DD-647-F02**: The squat-kick step is called the prisyadka. _(Write-up · Exhibit C (The step))_

## Write-up

Squat, kick, repeat. The folk-dance step behind a famous Team Fortress 2 taunt.

1. **A 2015 taunt**: Valve added the Kazotsky Kick to Team Fortress 2 on July 2, 2015, as a group taunt anyone can join.
2. **The game's own description**: The official TF2 Wiki calls the taunt a hopak.
3. **The step**: The prisyadka is a squat with alternating leg kicks, done with a straight back.
4. **Cossack roots**: Britannica traces the hopak to the Zaporozhian Cossacks, and it's full of leaps, squatting kicks and turns.
5. **Folk roots**: The squat-kick step comes from folk dance of the former Russian Empire and Soviet Union, including the Russian prisyadka and the Ukrainian hopak.

## Related case files

- [I'm Obsessed... (DD-732)](https://detailenjoyer.com/case/im-obsessed/): Another Media case

## Reel vs. record

- **Note**: 'The Kazotsky Kick is traditional': the step is traditional, but the name 'Kazotsky Kick' is best known from the game, not from folk tradition.
- **Note**: 'Gained global recognition through Team Fortress 2': the game made the name a meme, but Cossack squat dances were already well known worldwide from folk ensembles and stage performances.
- **Missing**: the taunt was added on July 2, 2015, in the Gun Mettle Update. It's a group taunt for all classes that other players can join.
- **Note**: 'Kicking one leg forward while balancing on the other': accurate for the common step. Folk-dance guides add that the back stays straight and the dancer stays on the balls of the feet.

## Video: Kazotsky Kick: Squat, Kick, Repeat

- Duration: 18.5 s · Published: 2025-09-03
- File: https://detailenjoyer.com/assets/videos/DOI9ZVSEex1.mp4

### Transcript

DID YOU KNOW? The Kazotsky Kick is a traditional Russian squat dance move that gained global recognition through the video game Team Fortress 2, where it was featured as a character taunt. It involves lowering into a deep squat and rhythmically kicking one leg forward while balancing on the other, often alternating legs in time with fast-paced folk music. NOW YOU KNOW!

## Questions & answers

**Q: When was the Kazotsky Kick added to Team Fortress 2?**  
A: In the Gun Mettle Update. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit A (A 2015 taunt) · Official TF2 Wiki: Kazotsky Kick; Team Fortress 2 (Jul 2, 2015): Team Fortress 2 update released (Gun Mettle Update))_

**Q: Which dance does the official TF2 Wiki say the taunt is?**  
A: With variations for each class. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit B (The game's own description) · Official TF2 Wiki: Kazotsky Kick)_

**Q: What is the squat-kick step called?**  
A: Also spelled prysiadka. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit C (The step) · Dictionary.com: Prisiadka; Folk Dance Federation of California, South: Prysiadkas (Michael Herman))_

**Q: Which group does Britannica say the hopak began among?**  
A: Originally a men's dance. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit D (Cossack roots) · Britannica: Hopak)_

**Q: Which company makes Team Fortress 2?**  
A: It was released in 2007. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit A (A 2015 taunt) · Official TF2 Wiki: Kazotsky Kick; Team Fortress 2 (Jul 2, 2015): Team Fortress 2 update released (Gun Mettle Update))_

## Sources

- [Official TF2 Wiki: Kazotsky Kick](https://wiki.teamfortress.com/wiki/The_Kazotsky_Kick)
- [Team Fortress 2 (Jul 2, 2015): Team Fortress 2 update released (Gun Mettle Update)](https://www.teamfortress.com/post.php?id=17400)
- [Britannica: Hopak](https://www.britannica.com/art/hopak)
- [Dictionary.com: Prisiadka](https://www.dictionary.com/browse/prisiadka)
- [Folk Dance Federation of California, South: Prysiadkas (Michael Herman)](https://socalfolkdance.org/articles/prysiadkas_herman.htm)

## Cite this case file

Easterling, Marcus. "Kazotsky Kick." The Detail Department (DetailEnjoyer), case file DD-647, last updated Sep 3, 2025. https://detailenjoyer.com/case/kazotsky-kick/