Jeffrey Buttle has been landing the quad jump during training, but still needs to find consistency with his new element. (Jeff McIntosh/Canadian Press)

Jeffrey Buttle needs the quad in his routine to win, but reaching this goal may not be that simple.

Buttle's suspicions about the jump's importance were confirmed at the conclusion of the 2007 world figure skating championships in Tokyo last March.

When Buttle – the final competitor of the men's event – skated off the ice following his long program, he was quickly approached by coach Rafael Arutunian, who informed the 2006 Olympic bronze medallist that six of his top rivals had performed quadruple jumps.

The news only reinforced the Sudbury, Ont., skater's firm belief that he was behind the rest of the field, and that he had to do something about it.

After surprising some experts with his energetic and inspiring effort at the Torino Games, Buttle, wanted to build on his momentum by adding the difficult quadruple toe loop to his expanding repertoire the ensuing summer.

Unfortunately, doctors diagnosed Buttle, 25, with a stress fracture in August 2006, forcing Canada's best performer to miss the entire Grand Prix season to rest his ailing back.

By the time Buttle, whose injury was attributed to the torque he generates required to perform spins, returned for training last November, other pressing matters had taken priority.

"It [the back] really hindered with my training," Buttle explained to CBCSports.ca "Once I got back on the ice after the injury, it was really just about trying to get back into shape and build more strength in time for my next competition instead of being able to work on my [quad] jumps."

Buttle fell during a quad attempt at the 2007 world championships last March in Tokyo. (Toshifumi Kitamura/AFP/Getty Images)

Despite the setback, Buttle won his third consecutive national men's title during his first post-injury competition in January, and finished a respectable sixth at the world championships.

Although his back pain subsided, the lack of training caused Buttle's conditioning to suffer, but nonetheless he was sitting second after the short program at the worlds, behind eventual champion Brian Joubert of France.

Feeling a little reckless, Buttle decided to include the daunting quad jump into his long program.

"I went down on the quad toe, which again I hadn't really tried all season, but we went for it anyway," said Buttle. "It was one of those things where I went for everything and it just didn't happen. There are days when you're just a little bit off and it can be pretty costly."

Travelled to U.S. to work with strength coach

Determined to avoid a similar fate this season, Buttle travelled to California in June for four months to work with Chris Hoffman, the strength coach for former five-time world champion Michelle Kwan of the U.S.

There, Buttle strengthened his back by enduring an arduous leg exercise program and began the process of making the quad jump part of his regular routine.

"I sort of sat down with him at the very beginning and told him what had happened last year and he just realized that I needed to improve my basic strength before I started doing these impact jumps. So we spent a lot of time doing basic training and then made it more specific to figure skating.

"The training really went well. Skating obviously requires a lot of leg strength, so if you can strengthen your legs, you can alleviate any back pain. Chris helped me do the exercises with the proper technique to make sure that I was maximizing my power."

With Buttle preparing for his first competition of the season – the Skate Canada International event beginning with CBC Sports' coverage on Friday in Quebec City – he can do so knowing the prospects of challenging the best skaters in the world appear promising.

Indeed, spending long hours with Hoffman has significantly increased his chances for success, but Buttle doesn't hesitate conceding his biggest concern.

"[The quad] is coming along really well," Buttle said. "I started landing it last month in practice, but the consistency definitely needs to improve. I really need to push it and increase the number of times I land it. That takes time and perseverance."

CBC figure skating analyst Tracy Wilson believes the three months lost to injury hurts Buttle's chances of competing against the likes of Joubert, whose athleticism and ability to continually land the quad separates him from the rest of the field.

Even underrated Czech skater Tomas Verner, a fourth-place finisher at the worlds, performs two quads in his long program, giving him a big advantage over his Canadian rival.

"You need to be landing it at about an 85 per cent clip in practice to make it worth the risk," said Wilson.

"Jeff to me is the consummate professional and very much a perfectionist. But bringing in a new element into the program like the quad isn't easy. It's usually the first jump in a skater's performance, so if Jeff falls, he has to be able to recover quickly and not let it affect the rest of his program."

Browning agrees with Wilson

Wilson's opinion is shared by the man who pioneered the jump, Kurt Browning, the first athlete ever to successfully land the quad at the 1988 Budapest world championships.

Browning, also a CBC analyst, doesn't expect Buttle to have command of the jump when the March 2008 worlds take place in Gothenburg, Sweden.

"It's not that I don't believe Jeff can't do it, but there are a few small things about the quad that most people don't realize," said the four-time world champion, who also happens to be Buttle's idol.

"With this jump you need to reach [the highest point] and Jeffrey gets a little tight before he jumps, so he loses some of that potential power. That's something that he needs to address because he's shutting down about 15 to 20 per cent of his potential jump.

"There will be extra pressure on him because he hasn't landed it yet in competition. It's a monkey on his back that he has to get rid of."

Still, stressing over lost time will only hinder Buttle's changes for the upcoming season. While there is some ground to make up, he can only hope the laborious training in California will once again turn him into a medal contender.

"Last year at the world championships, it was evident that the quad was back [in the men's event] and now it just has to be there," he said. "And I don't want to get left behind."

It's also history Buttle wants to avoid for a second time.