In this article, strain-rate sensitivity of short-fiber reinforced composites (SFRC) with complex fiber orientation is modeled. The principal aim is to allow an easier implementation than that of classical techniques, in case of complex reinforcement characteristics and nonlinear matrix behavior. The interest for such an approach is particularly acute for high-strain-rate simulations using explicit formulation. The composite behavior is computed based on an additive decomposition of the state potential between linear elastic short fiber media and a viscoelastic–viscoplastic matrix medium. Finite element simulations demonstrate model’s ability to reproduce behavior trends of SFRC with distributed fiber orientations, for a wide strain-rate range.