Rodney Dangerfield made a career and a fortune bemoaning his fate. "I don't get no respect!" He'd grab his signature red tie, pull the knot back and forth, and roll those exophthalmic eyes of his (did he ever get his thyroid function tested?).
Mask ventilation falls into the "I don't get no respect" category. The fame and glory is all in the intubation, and most airway students want to checker jump over the mask ventilation part and get right to the "cool stuff", the laryngoscopy.
Hold your horses!
Mask ventilation is the crucial "walk before you run" part of airway management, and you have to get this down pat. Mask ventilation buys you time, stabilizes the patient, in many cases SAVES the patient, and is the ultimate "fall back" if other airway maneuvers have failed. Plus, masking well sets you up for success in your laryngoscopy, as you will see below.