ABSTRACTOnly few works have been focused on soft materials at medium strain rates. In the present paper, we propose a new experimental setup to investigate the compressive response of rubber‐like materials in the range of intermediate strain rates, such experiments being difficult to conduct with conventional mechanical frames or traditional Hopkinson bar technique. The new apparatus consists in a hybrid technique that takes advantage of the assets of the Hopkinson bar and drop‐weight techniques. It involves an instrumented tubular aluminium bar connected to a steel bar, both being accelerated by gravity. The new device, associated with a classical servo‐hydraulic machine, permits to characterise natural rubber material at strain rate ranging from 0.01 to 100 s−1, highlighting the sensitivity of this material to strain rate.