Adiabatic shear band (ASB) formation is a deformation mechanism that especially occurs at high deformation rates in metallic materials with low thermal conductivity. Shear banding is characterized by energy dissipation during plastic deformation and therefore associated with a local increase in temperature. Finally, local softening and an increasingly pronounced localization of the ongoing deformation occurs. In this contribution, we present a newly designed S-shaped sample geometry that allows an in-situ characterization of shear banding under different stress states. Local shear deformation in a geometrically well-defined shear zone occurs during uniaxial compression of the S-shaped samples. We demonstrate that the predominant shear stress can be superimposed with either tensile or compressive stresses by slightly varying the geometry of the shear zone. In addition, we show that the sample geometry also enables the application of digital image correlation for direct strain measurements and the metallographic preparation for in-situ microstructural investigations even after deformation at high loading rates. The applicability of the sample geometry is validated by dynamic experiments with nominal strain rates of > 10² s^-1 using a Ti-10V-2Fe-3Al alloy. Our experimental approach contributes to an in-depth understanding of the formation and growth of adiabatic shear bands.