Correct, they are talking about timing the cue to reach the cue ball at peak velocity. So I always see this crucially as avoiding decelerating into the ball, possibly have too slow of an acceleration, jerking the cue forward such that you aren't generating nearly as much speed as you think you are due to tense muscles.
Yep- timing IS one of the critical factors to success in just about any sport- for those here who are very good players and don't acknowledge timing in pool - they are probably just not aware of it when they play- very possible- it is not normally an awareness skill.
In pool, you have rhythm or as some here called it pace, or tempo- that is the coordinated movement of your body parts that PREPARE you for the final execution of a pool stroke.
The TIMING part refers to the RELEASE of the cue stick at the very MOMENT you SEE the aiming point definitively in your mind's eye - it is the YES moment of releasing your stroke - as Ralph Eckert , the great German 14.1 player refers to it.
Great timing MOST CONSISTENTLY observes the stroke being released at the proper YES moment of SEEING the most clear mind's picture of the shot.
Great sense of timing is a natural for the greatest athletes, however; becoming acutely aware of timing's existence, and its necessity as part of the complete successful pool stroke, can aid one who is not so naturally gifted. One can develop their timing mechanisms to become more effective. The emphasis on pre shot routines is really a method to help develop consistent timing of the pool stroke- without it you can't go too far in the game.
The idea behind effective pre shot routines is to coordinate your body rhythms AND then free up you mind to FOCUS on making the shot- which allows you to TIME the cue stick release at the EXACT RIGHT moment - great players do this most consistently. True in all sports.
Think of what a baseball player does in the batters box prior to pitch delivery, a tennis player waiting for the ball to come over the net, a golfer as they address the golf ball, a great boxer as they set to deliver a punch. The BODY is prepared ( Rhythm), the MIND is relaxed, which in turn relaxes the muscle tension in the body, and then the FOCUS takes over UNTIL the EXACT moment that the mind says YES to the delivery. The effective transition from FOCUS to DELIVERY is TIMING!