The subject. The algorithm of qualification of beatings is researched taking into account changes in the Russian legislation of Russia on the protection of bodily integrity of a person. The author studies the norms of Russian criminal and administrative legislation in the field of protection of human bodily integrity and practical issues that have emerged in this regard.The purpose of the article is to confirm or disprove the hypothesis of a complex (not obvious to the law enforcement officer) process of qualification of violent actions that caused physical pain, but did not cause harm to human health, due to the multi-level competition of legal norms.The methodological basis of the study is the general scientific dialectical-materialistic approach based on the methods of analysis and synthesis, induction and deduction. Logical, system-structural, concrete sociological and comparative legal methods are also used. The research materials are data from judicial practice on liability for beatings and related crimes. The main results, scope of application. Beatings are considered as violence that is not dangerous to life or health. The norms that can be applied when the perpetrator commits the corresponding violent actions are identified. The differences between beatings and lawful infliction of harm, minor acts, and attempted crimes are shown. A distinction is made with related elements of crimes against life and health, constitutional rights and freedoms, interests of minors, property, etc. The presentation is based on the author's systematization of the rules for qualifying beatings and taking into account the sequence of steps for making the final decision by the law enforcement officer. The results of the research may be applied in higher legal education, further academic researches concerning beatings as well as in law enforcement practice of criminal investigations.Conclusions. The author explains the difficulties in qualifying beatings. The rules of legal assessment of violent actions that caused physical pain, but did not cause harm to health, in the competition of criminal law norms are shown. The algorithm for qualifying beatings according to the current legislation of Russia is derived.