Maybe, but if he's shooting 72 pounds currently with a 30inch draw, he should beable to handle 55. His draw length with a recurve will probably come out around 28 1/2 + or -. He'd be pulling around 55 pounds, 17 pounds under his current weight. He should beable to do it fine. Go try a couple after you read the book. Yes it would be easier to learn with a 48-50 pound bow, but that extra 5-7 pounds would be nice for hunting. He won't be holding the weight for more than a second or two. I was trying to avoid having to buy another bow in 6 months.